Air Force Vet's Harassment: A System Failed

0:00Phoenix Johnson left the Air Force around 2011 and landed a lab job with the Ketchikan Indian community in Alaska, hoping to connect with her indigenous roots. But just weeks in, the lab director, Dr. Richard McGrath started invading her space with unwanted touches on her thigh, neck, hair, and even a full slap on her butt. She reported it right away on March 19, 2012. HR promised an investigation, but a month later they dismissed her claims as misunderstandings or accidents, like the slap meant for her back. They suggested she just avoid him, even though he was the boss. Johnson filed a grievance, and days later they fired her and escorted her out like a criminal, leaving her stunned and without support. That treatment hit her hard, amplifying the trauma, but McGrath kept working for the tribe until at least 2013. He later moved to Sitka Community Hospital, where three women accused him of sexual assault, leading to 13 felony charges in 2019.

1:03After a mistrial, he pleaded guilty to third degree assault in 2023 and got two years in prison. Now in political advocacy, Johnson saw news of his conviction last year and decided to share her story publicly. She filed a grievance with the Indian Health Service this year, believing early action at KIC could have stopped him from hurting others. One of his Sitka victims has a civil case heading to the Alaska Supreme Court on appeal. Johnson pushes for integrity over flawed systems, saying decent people can drive real change no matter what. That's your update from Anchorage News Today, powered by AI.